Category: Exhibition Review

A couple of months ago in Cairns an art event honoured one of the country's most pre-eminent ceramicists and arguably Australia's foremost Aboriginal artist, the late [and recognised Queensland Great] Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James AO, known fondly as 'Than' by most. In her will Thancoupie left behind an endowment fund, a trust of sorts to be utilised as a scholarship programme for young or emerging Aboriginal artists from the Western Cape, Cape York Peninsula (her home region). Since its inauguration the Thancoupie Bursary Fund has raised a sizable amount due to the assistance of the Queensland Government and countless benefactors as well as support from the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation. Events such as the recently held fundraising art auction have been crucial to the Bursary's sustainability and also presents a great and interactive way for the community and those who admired Thancoupie to contribute. This is the latest of a number of fundraising auctions held over the past few years, one at the Cairns Regional Gallery and another at KickArts Contemporary Arts.

While the Bursary has been growing, building its profile and advocating for Indigenous arts advancement in the Far North, artist Paul Bong became the first recipient of the bursary last year. The funds awarded to Paul- and all future recipients- goes towards supporting either their arts practice or arts education. In a time where public funding to the arts is restricted and restrictive, this initiative from the private sector, from the community, is a great step forward. Supporting artists, especially Indigenous artists, and advocating for arts education (aside from her arts practice) were some of Thancoupie's lifelong passions.

While the definite figure of what was successfully raised at the auction has yet been officially announced by the Thancoupie Bursary Fund committee, from my estimations the figure is impressively into the early tens of thousands of dollars mark. To keep updated on any future announcements follow the Bursary's official Facebook page.

*Jack is the Tribal-Grandson of Thancoupie and is himself a contemporary artist & writer from Cape York & Far North Queensland.

Today is the last day of this really wonderful exhibition which if you have time I encourage you to go see. I found this show very poignant and moving. Running from 6th to the 29th May 2016 at the Glen Eira City Council Gallery which is on the corner of Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads in Caulfield (Monday to Friday 10am–5pm, Weekends 1pm–5pm).

Curated by Dr Helen Light AM, this exhibition includes works by these artists who have responded to personal and collective histories and viewpoints regarding the trauma of war, and The Holocaust in particular. The artists' interpretation of contemporary portraiture further encourages a critical engagement with ideas around memorialization and representation. This exhibition honours post-war refugees who journeyed across the globe in order to establish new lives and families. Their stories are pertinent to current debates concerning refugees and asylum seekers." -Glen Eira City Council Gallery

Welcome to the first entry of 2016 for my guest section 'What's on in Queensland?'. A major event happening in relation to Queensland is currently taking shape and will actually be held in Monaco!

Curated by Brisbane based gallery director Suzanne O'Connell (whose gallery Arts & Artists Blog has covered before), in partnership with Stéphane Jacob of Arts d'Australie in Paris, Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre in Far North Queensland (famous for its production of miniature and massive Bagu sculptures), Erub Arts (AKA Darnley Island Art Centre), Pormpuraaw Art & Cultural Centre, Ken Thaiday Snr and Alick Tipoti, the exhibition will showcase numerous works by several important Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander artists to the European art market in Monaco next month (March 23rd). The exhbition will feature large installations and will feature numerous sought after ghost net sculptures. The exhibition's overall concept is through art, to showcase the love and connection, as well as the protectiveness, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples have for and over their oceans and sea territories.

Made possible by the Federal Government's new funding scheme Catalyst (as well as with support from other government bodies, not to mention generous sponsorship from the private sector),the project is expected to be one of the largest in Indigenous fine art promotions abroadInitiatives of the kind which benefit the domestic and hence local art industry immensely (and no doubt pose a huge boon for events such as the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair) due to the exposure of Australian artists and interest generated in Aboriginal culture and fine art. For more information on the Catalyst fund and for information on eligibility and the application process, please follow this link.

While the Monaco project is still taking shape, with new works being completed and/or commissioned every day- Ms O'Connell was kind of enough to share a little sneak peak at what will be expected on display at the renowned Oceanographic Museum in Monaco as part of a larger programme of performances & artists talks as well as a special concert event. Ms O'Connell also dropped a few of the main names whose work will be exhibited to an audience of about 500,000 art lovers! Such names include Aboriginal art superstars Alick Tipoti, Ken Thaiday Snr in collaboration with Jason Christopher and Brian Robinson.

We at Art & Artists Blog hope you enjoy this preview and hope we've left you enough time to save up and book your tickets to Monaco! While you may not make it in time for the opening (to be opened privately by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco) you will have ample time to go and see the exhibition as it runs until the 30th of September. Following the opening, on the 24th of March Alick Tipoti and his team of dancers will be performing at the museum throughout the day. The event is followed on the 26th by a free public concert in Lyons at the Musée des Confluences with a performance by the Zugubal Dancers.

Defending the Oceans follows the Museum's tradition of exhibiting high standard contemporary works by the likes of Damien Hirst, Huang Yong Ping, Mark Dion and Marc Quinn (to name a few), and is part of the larger exhibition at the Museum titled "Taba Naba – Australia, Oceania, Arts of the Sea People". "Taba Naba" will feature two other exhibitions, Living Waters and Oceania Islanders: Past Masters in Navigation and Artistic Expression.

Her works combines typography with environmental concern to form a small yet coupling body of work that raises awareness for endangered native birds.

The text is the result of a personal quest to define her personal relationship with these birds that are from the Northern Rivers and central Coast of NSW. The collection of generational observation are coupled with the at risk information about each species.

The initial idea was spawned from a conversation about the decline of the local finches that are no longer in her childhood area. This then was fusioned with Jasmine's current exploration of typography.

The next step in the process began with the research of endangered birds in the childhood town. Discussions with family developed a further personal connection to the plight of these birds. The execution combines traditional and digital. The first stage involves under-drawing in traditional pencil and pen. The finished drawings were then scanned and imported into photoshop to add the typography via a drawing tablet. The text was scaled and aligned to harmonise with the original drawing. The last stage was the printing. The results of this process created engaging works that draw the viewer in.

Art and Artists blog is excited to include another Jack Wilkie-Jans guest post. Enjoy!

Bimblebox: Art – Science – Nature, a touring exhibition, is a must see. Currently showing at Artspace Mackay (61 Gordon Street, Civic Centre Precinct, Mackay) in Northern Queensland, the exhibition will be on display until the 6th of December 2015 before continuing doing the rounds through regional galleries in Queensland and New South Wales. Next year the exhibition is off to the New England Regional Art Museum, NSW (106-114 Kentucky St, South Hill NSW) from the 5th of February to the 24th April 2016. Click here for future exhibition dates!

Showcasing Seventeen Artists, the group exhibition is curated by well known curator and art consultant, Beth Jackson. The works are varied (click here for catalogue), ranging from collages made up of naturally sourced materials, to modern sculptural installations of both natural and technological appeal, fine paintings & drawing, photography, sound installations and digital art. As such the exhibition is a balanced collection of talent, with artists drawing upon their experiences at Bimblebox Nature Refuge for their collective inspiration. The Bimblebox Nature Refuge is an 8000 hectare property in Central Queensland’s Galilee Basin that is currently under threat from Coal Mining.

They say nothing can beat nature, and while Mother Earth's creation (cared for by the caretakers at the Bimblebox refuge) is surely one of the greatest and most beautiful "installations", Bimblebox: Art – Science – Nature is a modern artists' interpretation and presentation of the aesthetic and the spiritual stories of such a pristine landscape. Showcased within art galleries across Queensland and New South Wales, like a modern take on the botanist portfolios of old, the exhibition literally transports Bimblebox to the viewer, and visa versa- something which is always a rewarding experience and a hallmark of any successful concept!